The last two days have been a steady chorus of "no"s from my daughter. Apparently the dog does not say "woof", it says "moo". The toys the dog wants to play with are all "no." Diaper changes are "no thank you" as she tries to push my hand away.
I did not think we told her no that much but apparently that is the word that has stuck out in her mind. So starting last night, my husband and I tried to re-write the chorus. Saying "yes" as she played and "good job" or "you did it" as she went about doing her usual things. Substituting "gentle" for her playing with the dogs or cabinet doors was an easy change as well.
It is said that for every negative, a child needs to hear three positives. We have tried to do that from the beginning. And we try distracting whenever possible instead of always saying "no". Yet this powerful word has stuck out enough.
This morning there is still a chorus of "no" but it has been intermixed with songs and "up" as well. For only one evening, I am happy to see the results of our more conscious communication with our daughter.
I'm grateful to hear her beautiful little voice using more of her vocabulary. I'm grateful to have caught this communication early and be working to remedy it to more positive phrases when possible. I'm grateful for the laughs we get when she chats away to the dogs. I'm grateful to be creative in using new words and rewriting our interactions.
What chorus have you been singing? Is it one of positivity? Is it the chorus you want to sing?
May today remind us that we have a choice of what to sing. May we choose to find positive phrases that support living a joyful life. Have a beautiful day!
I did not think we told her no that much but apparently that is the word that has stuck out in her mind. So starting last night, my husband and I tried to re-write the chorus. Saying "yes" as she played and "good job" or "you did it" as she went about doing her usual things. Substituting "gentle" for her playing with the dogs or cabinet doors was an easy change as well.
It is said that for every negative, a child needs to hear three positives. We have tried to do that from the beginning. And we try distracting whenever possible instead of always saying "no". Yet this powerful word has stuck out enough.
This morning there is still a chorus of "no" but it has been intermixed with songs and "up" as well. For only one evening, I am happy to see the results of our more conscious communication with our daughter.
I'm grateful to hear her beautiful little voice using more of her vocabulary. I'm grateful to have caught this communication early and be working to remedy it to more positive phrases when possible. I'm grateful for the laughs we get when she chats away to the dogs. I'm grateful to be creative in using new words and rewriting our interactions.
What chorus have you been singing? Is it one of positivity? Is it the chorus you want to sing?
May today remind us that we have a choice of what to sing. May we choose to find positive phrases that support living a joyful life. Have a beautiful day!
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